Things Arthur hates
by Jtoasn
Summary: Arthur hates Merlin's smell.


THINGS ARTHUR HATES

Arthur hated Merlin's smell.

It seemed to stain him when he had been forced to wear his servant's clothes, and even though Merlin had said that he had washed them especially, Arthur clearly doubted it.

It was a musky sort of odorous smell, and even now in his own clothes he could still smell it.

It was a smell of half-arsed work and sarcasm.

And for some reason Arthur knew that he would never be rid of it, no matter how hard he scrubbed.

Arthur hated doing other peoples jobs.

He muttered to himself as he walked down the corridor, for some reason Merlin had left his clothes of the royal court in Arthur's chambers when he was supposed to have them himself, to get dressed for the feast tomorrow night.

Although Arthur loved to see his manservant humiliated, he himself didn't like taking the clothes to Merlin, when Merlin should really come to him.

"Arthur what are you doing?"

"I'm giving Merlin his clothes for tomorrow" Arthur said.

"You seem to enjoy having fun with him"

Arthur shrugged at Morgana, "If he wasn't such an idiot I probably wouldn't"

Morgana smirked slightly, "Well, I suppose he wouldn't need them"

"Why ever not Morgana?"

She smiled, "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

But she didn't say anything and just touched Arthur's shoulder, "You'll find out"

Arthur hated not being told things.

"Merlin, where have you been?" Arthur exclaimed as he walked back to his chambers.

There was Merlin standing with his dinner ready for Arthur to eat.

"I was-"

"I've been looking for you all day, what the hell have you been doing?"

"I've been-"

"We've got the feast tomorrow night, and I've found the perfect thing for you to wear" he said, holding up the feathered hat.

"I'm not going"

Arthur looked at Merlin and smiled, "Sure you are, don't think you can get out of it that easily"

"My mother is dead"

Arthur's smile was wiped from his face, and he looked at the now seemingly distressed Merlin.

"I'm going back to Ealdor for a while"

He walked to the window and looked out, he could see Gaius in the stables preparing a horse, and then he remembered what Morgana had said earlier.

"You're leaving tonight?"

"Tomorrow morning" Merlin said, "I won't be back for a couple of days"

Arthur nodded, "Of course"

He stopped and looked at the servant in front of him, no... not his servant. His friend.

"I'm... I'm sorry Merlin; I know... that this is difficult for you"

Merlin looked down at the plate of food, "You should eat your food before it gets cold"

Arthur saw that Merlin was trying not to cry, and he did something very unexpectedly, and he was glad that Merlin hugged him back.

Because Arthur was too young to remember when he had lost his mother, but Merlin wasn't... he too had met her, and although they were nothing alike.

They were family.

"If there's anything you need..."

Merlin looked down, and his lip quivered.

"What is it?"

"My mum was alone when she died, I wasn't there...She must have felt so unloved" Merlin said, "What if-"

"You're not going to die alone" Arthur said holding Merlin's shoulders, in a statement that not even Merlin wanted to argue with, he looked at Merlin "You're not going to die, unloved"

Arthur hated waking up alone.

He could feel the heat on his face, and he turned over away from the sunlight.

"Shut the curtains" he muttered into his pillow.

But nothing stirred, nothing moved; even though that according to his memory Merlin should still be in his room.

"Merlin?"

But his manservant wasn't in his bed, he wasn't anywhere in his room.

Sitting up he looked to the bedside table, a small note on it.

I didn't want to wake you up.

Arthur hated not being told things.

He awoke and started to pick up the clothes around the room, for lack of anything else to do. He knew that last night would never occur again, it shouldn't be allowed to happen again.

It had been a moment, just of moment that both Arthur and Merlin didn't know would happen, they hadn't expected anything like this to happen.

It was a moment that they'd pretend had never happened.

He looked over at the feathered hat, and folded clothes of the royal court, and picked it up, he would have to take it back to the clothes room, where all the clothes of special occasions were stored.

Arthur hated doing other peoples jobs.

Gwen gently touched his bare back; he could feel the metallic ring around her finger as she did.

He pretended to be asleep.

He knew about Lancelot and their rendezvous, but that wasn't her fault. As a Queen she was wise and knew how to lead the people, as his wife, she had excelled in bearing him sons and heirs to the throne, but as his lover... she was inept.

As she felt her turn away from him again, he tried to imagine someone else, something that as he inhaled his sheets.

Arthur hated Merlin's smell, because it had faded a long time ago.

-JTOASN


End file.
